Prediction 2016 - the year that either makes it or breaks it.

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Matchu

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2007
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I believe 2016 is the year that will define whether the Suns have success in the near future. As I see it, the five key planks to future success for the Gold Coast will come through these fives players:

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They are your key positions players and exceptional midfielders who also provide leadership amongst the playing group. Then you have your x factor, Jason Akermanis type of player in this guy:

b6XcPlr.jpg


Perhaps the biggest question mark hanging over these players is the fact that Lynch, O'Meara and Prestia are all out of contract in 2016. The club MUST keep these three players if the team is going to reach its potential. The recent departures of Bennell and Dixon will likely free up enough cap room to afford all three guys but there's a reasonable chance that their decisions will come down to on field performances. I can't stress enough how important I think it is for the club have a solid 2016 on field.

I remember the rumours and innuendo that surrounded Travis Boak and a move to Geelong looked on the cards. It was a scary time for my club as we were just about as bad as you possibly could be with embarrassing losses to teams like GWS becoming a regular fixture for the Port Adelaide Football Club. History shows that the Boak signing probably set the club up for where it is today and that's nothing to sneeze at. Likewise, I think a triple signing of Lynch, O'Meara and Prestia will set the Gold Coast Football Club up for a very healthy future. I think 2016 will retrospectively be seen as the most important year in the club's history in 20 years from now.

The club also needs to make sure the new training facilities are complete and ready for the 2016-17 summer. The players don't deserve to spend another preseason training out of tin sheds. Brand new world class training facilities might just be enough to secure their signatures and I've already detailed how important I think that is.

So, what do you think is important in 2016 for the club? Do you agree with me or do you have another opinion?
 
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Matchu

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2007
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The club also needs to ensure they secure academy talent Jack Bowes and Brad Scheer. Both are highly rated and eligible to be taken by the Suns so those two first rounders and three second rounders the club holds next year will come in handy in that regard. The club really needs to take advantage of their academy like the other northern clubs are.
 
Aug 17, 2010
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Think you are right Matchu. Need 12+ wins this year, hopefully make finals. Need to keep our best players on the park to do that and find adequate goalscoring replacements for Dicko and Harley. Hopefully Wright and Martin step up. Isn't going to be easy, a lot of clubs look capable of big improvements on their 2015 efforts. Need to knock over a few of those teams we haven't beaten yet like Adelaide and Sydney.
 

JD Tomahawk

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Why has it taken so long for facilities to be built?
They've had since 2009 to get it done.
What about metricom stadium, wouldn't the home base and what not be there since they are the only sports team using it?
The pictures above are ridiculous for a professional sports team.
I mightn't know the whole story however. Can anyone shed some light on this?
 

Matchu

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2007
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Rodney Eade also has the unenviable task of having to clean up the mess Bluey left behind. There is enough evidence to suggest McKenna allowed a ridiculously unhealthy culture to develop under his watch and that's simply unacceptable. Guys who had issues that were reported publicly (Dixon and Bennell) are now gone and others that likely had problems that weren't reported publicly are also gone. Leigh Matthews found himself in a similar situation when he took over the Lions at the end of 1998 after they had just picked up the wooden spoon. He cleaned the place up and they went on to become arguably one of the best teams of all time. Most people would be surprised to learn Voss, Akermanis, Lynch, Leppitsch, Johnson, Ashcroft etc. were all playing for the Lions when they picked up the spoon in 1998.

Matthews demanded his former assistant coach from Collingwood Graeme Allen and the best medical and fitness staff available (sound familiar?). Once Matthews cleaned the place up they went on to finish 4th in 1999 so it just goes to show that things can turn around very quickly if you have talent, the right coach and the right people around the club. Every indication points towards the Suns doing everything right in that regard over the last 12 months.

2016 is the year.

Why has it taken so long for facilities to be built?
They've had since 2009 to get it done.
What about metricom stadium, wouldn't the home base and what not be there since they are the only sports team using it?
The pictures above are ridiculous for a professional sports team.
I mightn't know the whole story however. Can anyone shed some light on this?
The AFL wanted to wait for the QLD state government to get involved in funding for 2018 Commonwealth Games infrastructure. They successfully garnered a deal with the QLD state government to dual fund the $101 million state-of-the-art Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre. I believe the AFL is going to provide about $15 million and essentially the Suns will be given complete access to the facility following the Comm Games, as well as an extension to the building that will house the Suns new training and admin facilities. Short term pain for the massive long term gain.

The club is most certainly based at Metricon Stadium and the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre will be built right next to it as you can see here:

fFqaHuZ.jpg
 

JD Tomahawk

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Rodney Eade also has the unenviable task of having to clean up the mess Bluey left behind. There is enough evidence to suggest McKenna allowed a ridiculously unhealthy culture to develop under his watch and that's simply unacceptable. Guys who had issues that were reported publicly (Dixon and Bennell) are now gone and others that likely had problems that weren't reported publicly are also gone. Leigh Matthews found himself in a similar situation when he took over the Lions at the end of 1998 after they had just picked up the wooden spoon. He cleaned the place up and they went on to become arguably one of the best teams of all time. Most people would be surprised to learn Voss, Akermanis, Lynch, Leppitsch, Johnson, Ashcroft etc. were all playing for the Lions when they picked up the spoon in 1998.

Matthews demanded his former assistant coach from Collingwood Graeme Allen and the best medical and fitness staff available (sound familiar?). Once Matthews cleaned the place up they went on to finish 4th in 1999 so it just goes to show that things can turn around very quickly if you have talent, the right coach and the right people around the club. Every indication points towards the Suns doing everything right in that regard over the last 12 months.

2016 is the year.


The AFL wanted to wait for the QLD state government to get involved in funding for 2018 Commonwealth Games infrastructure. They successfully garnered a deal with the QLD state government to dual fund the $101 million state-of-the-art Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre. I believe the AFL is going to provide about $15 million and essentially the Suns will be given complete access to the facility following the Comm Games, as well as an extension to the building that will house the Suns new training and admin facilities. Short term pain for the massive long term gain.

The club is most certainly based at Metricon Stadium and the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre will be built right next to it as you can see here:

fFqaHuZ.jpg
Thanks for clearing that up mate. So theyl get access to it sometime in 2018. That's not too bad. Would be good if they could get in for 2017, then make way for duration of comm games.
 

Matchu

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2007
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Thanks for clearing that up mate. So theyl get access to it sometime in 2018. That's not too bad. Would be good if they could get in for 2017, then make way for duration of comm games.
My apologies for not clearing that up. The plan is for the Suns' training and admin facilities to be finished by this time next year while work on the rest of the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre continues. If all goes according to plan, this should be the last preseason they complete in those tin shed demountables. Following the Comm Games I believe they will have complete access to the facilities along with Gold Coast Basketball and Gold Coast Netball. Gold Coast Soccer will be just over the road.
 
The club also needs to ensure they secure academy talent Jack Bowes and Brad Scheer. Both are highly rated and eligible to be taken by the Suns so those two first rounders and three second rounders the club holds next year will come in handy in that regard. The club really needs to take advantage of their academy like the other northern clubs are.

Loving this thread, OP.

Matchu , what kind of players are Bowes and Scheer like? Midfielders or KPP? Are they as highly rated as the academy players Sydney and GWS picked up? Cheers!
 
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Loving this thread, OP.

Matchu , what kind of players are Bowes and Scheer like? Midfielders or KPP? Are they as highly rated as the academy players Sydney and GWS picked up? Cheers!

From what I understand they are better than anything dished up from the Swans and Lions academy so far - The one exception being Mills, who i'd give my left nut for.

I'm not too sure on GWS academy though
 

OB11

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From what I understand they are better than anything dished up from the Swans and Lions academy so far - The one exception being Mills, who i'd give my left nut for.

I'm not too sure on GWS academy though

Mills and Isaac Heeney (plus Harris Andrews will be a good player)
 
From what I understand they are better than anything dished up from the Swans and Lions academy so far - The one exception being Mills, who i'd give my left nut for.

I'm not too sure on GWS academy though

Heeney, Mills and Steele have been talked up as top midfielders. Wouldn't mind any of them!
 

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OB11

Norm Smith Medallist
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Harris Andrews is a dick and an over rated player. What's he had? 2 good games?

Don't know him personally and didn't watch too many games but was reported that he was holding down a key back position in his first year and going OK... Scheer or Bowes would have to be pretty special to have that sort of impact in their first year.
 
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OB11

Norm Smith Medallist
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Scheer being playing seniors since he was 15 for PBC seniors
Kicked 5 goals in his second game and won a rising star nomination from it

http://www.pbcafc.com.au/2014/04/16/brad-scheer-qafl-rising-star-nomination/

Scheer causing aftershocks amoung AFL Community
won the Voss Hunter Harrison Medal and was being hailed the Next Michael Voss

http://m.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/s...-to-michael-voss/story-fnj9yd7s-1226988432551

Hopefully we can keep a lid on it enough to not receive a bid on him before our 1st round pick and we can get 4 gun kids next year.
 

Experimental

Norm Smith Medallist
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Harris Andrews is a dick and an over rated player. What's he had? 2 good games?
What's your issue with him? I obviously don't know him personally but he's definitely a great player. Absolute steal for what the Lions paid for him.

As for Bowes and Scheer, I'm so excited for what these two have to offer. Especially Bowes who is a Cairns boy.

Having done a brief Facebook stalk of them (I thought the academy taught them not to set their posts and photos to public?), Bowes has posted a few times about how excited he is already to be moving down to the 'big smoke' of the Gold Coast. Loves the city and loves the Suns.

This makes me even more excited haha.
 

Donble

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What's your issue with him? I obviously don't know him personally but he's definitely a great player. Absolute steal for what the Lions paid for him.

As for Bowes and Scheer, I'm so excited for what these two have to offer. Especially Bowes who is a Cairns boy.

Having done a brief Facebook stalk of them (I thought the academy taught them not to set their posts and photos to public?), Bowes has posted a few times about how excited he is already to be moving down to the 'big smoke' of the Gold Coast. Loves the city and loves the Suns.

This makes me even more excited haha.

Along with Bowes and Scheer , we will get some glimpes of a couple of 16yo coming through later on in the year like they did with Scheer this year.
 

Sunraysia

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Loving this thread, OP.

Matchu , what kind of players are Bowes and Scheer like? Midfielders or KPP? Are they as highly rated as the academy players Sydney and GWS picked up? Cheers!
Here is Academy manager Jason Torney's assesment at time their National Academy membership was reaffirmed.
Since then - both were named in best 6 players for the National Academy 17's team on Grand Final day
While both missed a fair bit of football in 2015 - expect them to be prettty prominent for Queensland 18's in 2016.
Both should also play for the Allies team that has been introduced to this years Div1 18 ' s National Championship .
This team will give Northern States Academy members a first opportunity to be measured directly against best in Victoria, WA and SA. My guess is this team would not have been introduced unless competitive. Northern Academy players are being looked at by all clubs - given they are producing ready made players ( Doesn't that give Eddie the xxxxx' s). Thinking our two will be right in it this time next year.......http://www.goldcoastfc.com.au/news/2015-08-11/two-suns-named-in-elite-academy-squad
 
Here is Academy manager Jason Torney's assesment at time their National Academy membership was reaffirmed.
Since then - both were named in best 6 players for the National Academy 17's team on Grand Final day
While both missed a fair bit of football in 2015 - expect them to be prettty prominent for Queensland 18's in 2016.
Both should also play for the Allies team that has been introduced to this years Div1 18 ' s National Championship .
This team will give Northern States Academy members a first opportunity to be measured directly against best in Victoria, WA and SA. My guess is this team would not have been introduced unless competitive. Northern Academy players are being looked at by all clubs - given they are producing ready made players ( Doesn't that give Eddie the xxxxx' s). Thinking our two will be right in it this time next year.......http://www.goldcoastfc.com.au/news/2015-08-11/two-suns-named-in-elite-academy-squad

That is awesome. Much appreciated mate, thank you.
 

winning

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I always look towards the Hawks as the bench mark as to how a club needs to perform both on and off the field.

Eade has shown he is willing to hold the playing group to a high standard which is evident by his decision to impose club suspensions.

I believe the next focus is assembling a playing group which work for each other, make the right decision in the heat of play and hit targets by hand and foot.

Langford missed the Hawks premiership side as he can get it but lacks elite disposal skills. Suckling was on the bench Grand Final day as he is known to be suspect with disposal when the game is hot. Generally the Hawks never lose a player they want to keep.

My point is that the GCS players need to evaluated on this basis. While I acknowledge each player works hard and tries their hardest on match day it is such a brutal game that a team cannot advance to the elite level without these attributes.

The game is like basketball and any turn over generally leaves a team out of position which results in a scoring opportunity for the opposition team.
 

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